With the cooperation of ATI, SiS, Samsung, IBM, and of course Microsoft, the Xbox 360 video game console was designed. With these big giants, you can be confident that it is a quality system.
The Xbox 360 was the first system to provide wireless controllers as the standard. It can now easily compete with the other major gaming consoles, Nintendo’s Wii and the Sony Playstation 3.
Up to four controllers can be hooked up simultaneoulsy to the Xbox 360. This includes wired gamepads and any wireless accessories. There are two front and one rear USB ports on the console and available to hook up the controllers to.
Control pads or joypads, also called gamepads, are game controllers that are held with both hands. You use your thumbs to input instuctions to the system. The right thumb contols the action buttons on the gamepads. The left thumb is the directional controller. The directional controller is usually either a four way digital pattern or an analog stick. Shoulder buttons are along the edge of the control pad. This includes mode, select, and start buttons. Controllers usually also have an internal motor for force feedback.
Right and left bumpers replace the original Xbox white and black buttons. A guide button is in the center.
When a gamepad is on the LED Ring of Light which is around the power button lights up. The upper left quadrant is for the first player, and the rest of the players continue in a clockwise direction.
There is also a Ring of Light around the guide button which will tell you if there is a low battery on the wireles gamepad.
If you are using a wired controller instead of wireless, the Xbox 360 controller has a nine foot cord which plugs into any USB port. The wireless gamepads have an approximate range of thirty feet. With the wirelsss controller, you will need two AA batteries or a NiMH rechargeable battery pack.
You can now use a USB keyboard on your Xbox 360. It is really only good for inputting the text or navigating the dashboard.
